In the season two opener of Battlestar Galactica, Mark discovers just how WRONG he was about pretty much every theory he had for this show. Oh well. If you’re intrigued, then it’s time for Mark to start watching season two of Battlestar Galactica.
WELL. SHIT. I guess I was nowhere near the mark, was I?
I think that describing the season two opener as “exciting†is not even all that accurate. It’s A COMPLETE VISUAL DISASTER, but in the best way possible. I can’t even name a single thing aside from the location of the fleet at the end that inspired any relief or joy in me. There are bad decisions, short tempers, and a gigantic dose of chaos. No, seriously, this is fucked up. There’s no resolution from the events at the end of “Kobol’s Last Gleaming,†and there’s nothing to make us feel better. Essentially, this show never wants us to feel good things ever again and Ronald Moore will stomp on a puppy to ensure this.
The bulk of “Scattered†deals with this very concept: everyone is scattered about the universe, from those on Kobol, to Boomer, Helo, and Starbuck, to the colossal mistake that sticks the Galactica in the middle of space, entirely by themselves. Now I think that for a good portion of season two, we’re instead going to deal with how the Galactica is to get all of these people back in one location. Well…even that is based on an assumption. What if they can’t? What if they don’t want to?
Pretty much every main and secondary character gets some screen time. Even Ellen Tigh and some of the secondary crew on Kobol spend time on camera. I totally missed at the end of season one that Socinus got out of the brig. Was that not shown? Because I don’t remember it in the slightest, but there he is, fluid filling his lungs, dying on Kobol. Hell, did anyone else pick out Tarn for death the second he opened his mouth? Dude could’ve been wearing a red shirt the entire time as far as I’m concerned. I don’t even recall Seelix as being part of this, but I probably just wasn’t paying attention. I suppose it doesn’t really matter, and if there was any opportunity to introduce some new characters, this was as good as any, even if they’re introduced in one of the more tense and chaotic ways possible.
And really now. Everything that happens on Kobol is just so gutting and intense. Even from the beginning, I’m bewildered and shocked by what happens. We jump right back to Baltar and Six in the vision of the opera house, and I find out I’m COMPLETELY WRONG. That’s not Boomer’s child in that crib. IT’S THE ONE THAT BELONGS TO BALTAR AND SIX. What the fuck? How is that possible? She’s a hallucination! Right? OH GOD, WHAT IF SHE IS NOT. I still don’t understand how this is the future, or why this is part of some plan of God. What does a Cylon and human hybrid create? Why is it so important?
Back at the crash site, we are given a story that is highly realistic and difficult to watch. Overwhelmed by the situation, the deaths of their crewmates, and the impossibility of rescue, mistakes are made, ones that lead to the death of Tarn and the inevitable death of Socinus. (I mean, he’s not going to survive, is he?) Watching Tarn’s death is both obvious and shocking at the same time. As soon as he stood with his back to the forest, I thought, “OH, YOU’RE TOTALLY GOING TO DIE SOON.†And even knowing that, it still wasn’t any easier to watch the shots rip through his body, to see Tyrol try so hard to save him, despite how impossible it proved to be. Poor Tyrol, by the way. He hasn’t even learned of what happened with Boomer, and he’s already a wreck.
We do manage to get more of Tigh’s backstory throughout the episode, as “Scattered†focuses a bit more on him than anyone else. The sight of a mustache-wearing, ready-to-smile Adama sure is a bizarre thing, but it suggests that there was a time when he had a complete family, and he still had a lot more hope for the future. Did the death of his son do this to him? Also, why can’t I remember anything about Adama’s wife? Has she even been mentioned? Regardless, those days on the freighter were not positive memories for Tigh, who was a much worse alcoholic than he is now, and we see how much the future is tied to those days.
For someone who is so insistent on being so strict and commanding, I find it fascinating that Tigh himself actually doesn’t want to be in command. He prefers being second in charge, and with Adama immobilized in the sick bay, near death, it’s quickly becoming Tigh’s own personal nightmare. Unfortunately, I wish he could see just how talented he is during the course of “Scattered,†but I know that self esteem doesn’t work that. He perceives himself as being less efficient compared to Adama. His commander–his friend, really–is so much braver than he is. At least in his mind, that is true. And as much as I don’t like the way that Tigh acts with Starbuck, that doesn’t mean he isn’t a good leader. Yes, he doubts himself multiple times in this episode, but who wouldn’t when this situation is thrust into your life? Your best friend was just shot in front of you, one of your pilots went off on a mission against orders, and there’s a group of INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT crew members crashed on a mysterious planet. Yeah, I think it’s perfectly fine to be overwhelmed, but Tigh measures himself against the solid nature of Adama. Adama is so stoic and wavering, and since Adama took him along all those years ago, that’s all that he knows. He doesn’t have another system to look up to, so when he hesitates to make decisions, he views that as a weakness.
But it’s not. It genuinely isn’t. And by the end of “Scattered,†we see that Tigh made the right decisions, enabling Gaeta to locate the location of the fleet and block out the impending Cylon virus penetrating the firewalls he set up. He trusts Gaeta (certainly more than Baltar, apparently), and he goes with what he knows. So that leaves me wondering how Tigh will deal with an uncertain future. We know from the end scene in the sick bay that Tigh doesn’t want this position, but will he continue to act so uncertain in the future?
To be fair, though, I don’t want to paint Tigh as some perfect character, because he does make one horrifically terrible decision: to confront Boomer by herself. I cringed so badly when he struck her wound. I just can’t even imagine how painful that would be. I mean…I get it. Boomer shot his best friend. Boomer is a Cylon. Boomer has betrayed everyone. I get the rage! But it is a poor decision to confront her the way that he does, and it’s even worse when he asks for a sidearm to attack her. WHAT ARE YOU DOING, SIR? Ah, you’re acting on the most base emotions that you possess, and you’re lashing out at her for inherently causing what you’ve been forced into.
God, what an awful situation. Even worse, I can’t figure out what’s going to happen with Lee. He’s temporarily let out of the brig to help out, but is Tigh committed to keeping him under lock and key? How much longer can he continue this with Adama unconscious?
Is anyone surprised, though, that the one story I’m drawn to more than any of the others belongs to Starbuck? Look, I can’t help it. She’s such a well-written and well-defined character! I’m intrigued by her tough exterior because I want to know what else she is hiding. I want to see her interact with the world because it makes me smile. But I’m also deeply fascinated to see just how Helo and Starbuck will deal with the reality of Boomer being a Cylon. We’ve seen just how human these new models are, and it seems that Boomer is one of the earlier ones, more human than other Cylon models. It’s interesting watching this because we know that Cylons can feel genuine human emotions, but the human survivors have a much more limited experience with these beings. To them, they simply look like humans, but they’re still the machines from years ago.
As it stands, only Helo and Baltar really truly know what these new Cylons are like, and it’s why Starbuck is so resistant to the idea that Helo could fall for Boomer. Obviously, Starbuck has also seen just how much chaos and destruction the Cylons have delivered to the humans, certainly more so than Helo. But it also seems that both assume that there is a real Boomer somewhere, and that the Cylons just made copies of the original. But thinking about that scene in the basestar…I don’t know. I don’t think that’s the case. I think the Boomer from Galactica has been a plant for years. No one ever knew the original Boomer because there wasn’t one. I think we’ll get an episode that confirms this in the future.
For now, though, Starbuck is offended and repulsed by Boomer’s desire to help them. I’m sure she’s figured out that the Boomer on board the Galactica is probably a Cylon, too, and she’s in a volatile state of mind. She fires on Boomer, but Helo manages to block it, and he reveals to Starbuck the real reason why he trusts her: she’s pregnant with his child. Well, that stops Starbuck real quick. I imagine that these two are going to have to address this sooner rather than later, and I’m sure Starbuck isn’t going to be easy on Helo. Still, I hope she’s not too harsh on him, but she might be, considering that Boomer steals the Cylon raider.
“Scattered†does a fantastic job of introducing a number of plot threads to keep up the intensity of season two, and I am expecting that the energy is going to let up as we continue further into this story. Surely there’s nothing more intense than the fact that Cylons have infiltrated the Galactica, right? HOLY SHIT IT IS ALREADY GETTING SO REAL IN JUST A SINGLE EPISODE.
This show is a treat, y’all.
My Thoughts on Watching "Scattered" the Day After Mainlining the First Season (P.S. I Watched It "on Tape." What, It Was July 2005.)
What a teaser, huh? What's, like, the worst thing you can possibly think of happening? You jump, and you're totally alone. Cut off from everyone. No way to contact them. No way to find them. You are royally fucked. Speaking of royally fucked, Starbuck is stranded on Caprica with Helo. Fuck. At least I actually care about Starbuck. Maybe she'll kill him and eat him. And dude, spaceship fight yay! Breaking through firewalls has never been so exciting. Go Cally with the gun-shooting! Oh, and flashbacks to flesh out the Adama/Tigh relationship. Nice. I never particularly cared about Tigh one way or the other, but this made him more interesting. And the Galactica has been infiltrated by killer robots. Did I mention royally fucked?
Oh, "tape." I remember you. I recorded the 2004 Olympics with Paul Hamm's epic comeback on you. Good times.
If I remember correctly, Lee told Adama in the miniseries that his mother was getting remarried. However, it's entirely possible that that is actually from some other show that has leaked over into my memories of this one.
The whole drama on Kobol is so ridiculously tense. I just want to hug Tyrol and tell him it will be all right even though everything is, in fact, terrible.
That is correct- Adama asked Lee how his mother was, and Lee said "Getting remarried" and Adama takes a second to absorb the news and moves past it. It's a really subtle little beat.
Thanks, I thought she had been mentioned before, but forgot how.
Adama's wife has been mentioned, but apparently the series can't agree on her name. She's been called Caroline, Carolanne, and just Anne (in this episode).
I laughed my ass off at the Battlestar Wiki entry for this episode, which describes Starbuck as "annoyed" at how much Helo trusts Sharon. Whoever wrote that, you are a master of understatement.
THIS SHOW IS GOING TO GIVE ME A HEART ATTACK. Or at least an ulcer. IT’S TOO INTENSE!!!!
Join the club. I already have an ulcer with heartburn and this show doesn't make it easier on my poor system.
Survivor count in the opening credits. Well that's just depressing.
This show is pretty unrelentingly bleak, and for that reason I'd never consider it a favorite no matter how well done it is. It's just tiring and depressing and I've never been one for dystopias and apocalyptic stories and just seriously, the tension actually tires me out. It's not a feeling I like, so yeah, sorry to say this just isn't the show for me. I liked season one a lot and thought it was very good, but it doesn't appeal to me the way more lighthearted shows do.
And so after rewatching this episode I retreated to a happy place where I decided to rewatch old episodes of Mythbusters.
I love the addition of the survivor count to the opening credits. It makes the humans' situation very real and immediate. Also the addition of the singing bumps it to eleven.
The show is pretty unrelenting. And I don't know that it really gets better…
Humanity reduced from twelve populated worlds to a couple thousandscore, fleeing in cramped conditions on aging spacecraft, with limited resources and no easy way to replenish them, and constantly harried by a foe who seeks their utter eradication? It should be unrelentingly bleak.
Still, I thought it got somewhat less oppressive by the final season – though honestly I couldn't tell you if that's because it actually did get less oppressive, or because I simply became inured to it.
I like that it's bleak, because it still has characters that I care about. That's the benchmark for me. If the characters are well-done, I don't mind watching awful things happen to them.
Spoiler: Guvf vf jul gur raq bs gur fubj obguref zr fb zhpu. Gur punenpgref trg yrff jryy-jevggra nf gvzr tbrf ba, naq gur fubj raqf ba n abgr gung vf gur pbzcyrgr bccbfvgr bs nyy gur oyrnxarff jr'ir tbggra fb sne. Naq V fgbc pnevat irel zhpu nobhg gur punenpgref. Gvtu naq Ryyra trg zber vagrerfgvat, ohg pregnva bgure punenpgref trg jnl zber naablvat. Fvtu.
Well if you don't like dystopias and shows that are unrelentingly bleak, I would pretty much stay away from the collected works of Whedon, LOST, Fringe, the Wire…basically all of my favorites. This kind of makes me sad for you, especially as BSG is pretty much my favorite thing ever, but to each their own I suppose.
I haven't seen Fringe or the Wire, but I would say both Whedon's shows and Lost temper they're bleak qualities with lots and lots of humor. With BSG, the humor is significantly more infrequent. It's one of the reasons I'm alternating between watching that show and three others.
I think [mod redacted (anzvat gur fubj nf Natry tvirf rkcrpgngvba fcbvyref sbe Ohssl vgfrys)], Firefly and Dollhouse were pretty bleak for most of their runs. I guess they did have Whedonisms to break the tension, though. LOST did have Sawyer and Hurley for comic relief, but when I think of LOST I think death, pain, tears (usually mine). Maybe I am just drawn to being bleak and sad. After all, sad is just happy for deep people, right? However, as for BSG, I think their are parts of it that are very funny. I mean, what is Baltar even on this show for if not comic relief?
I think if I found Baltar funny that would help, but, mostly, I just find him irritating. I know (and have had to put up with on a frequent basis) too many real people like him for him to make me laugh. I'm firmly on Team punch Baltar in the face.
(Never seen The Wire.)
I wouldn't at all say Whedon's works, Lost, or Fringe are unrelentingly bleak. As hpfish13 says, there's lots of humor in Lost and Whedon's stuff, but tonally the shows (including Fringe) are also not about a ceaseless sense of struggle. There's a victory in basically every Fringe episode, for instance, in that they get to save people all the time. In Firefly, they pull off successful heists and rescue missions just about every episode. In Lost, there was plenty of day-to-day stuff that made things fun. None of them I would call dystopic. (ETA: Actually, Dollhouse is maybe dystopic. But I wouldn't really call the rest of the shows dystopic.) None of them I would call unrelentingly bleak.
Should have worded it better. Obviously LOST and Fringe are not dystopic because they are supposed to take place in modern day (in earth J.J.). I think you could definately make a case for Firefly, however, as it is set in a future where the Alliance has forcibly imposed their will on all the people, cutting off supplies to the outer "less civilized" planets where people are forced to live in squalor. Also, their is that whole "the government created crazies who want to rape you to death and eat your face" thing. BTW, how much do I love this conversation? I love discussing these things.
Ah, but Serenity is not the same as Firefly. In the context of the show, Reavers are just simple bad guys. And the show Firefly ends with every single episode being a successful escape or heist, with no fatalities to the crew. Adding Serenity, I can maybe give you a dystopic universe, but it's still not unrelentingly bleak given again, every single episode of the show ends well for the crew.
Also, please don't use "crazies" on this site.
I am not discussing someone with a mental illness, I am discussing someone who has been physically altered to want to eat your face, so please get off my back. Also, not every episode of Firefly ended well. People do die, like Inara's companion friend and Mal's old army buddy. Just because people on the main crew don't die doesn't mean it's not sad and bleak. I also think you are splitting hairs over Firefly/Serenity. It is a continuation of the story, one that would have happened on the main television show had it not been cancelled far too soon.
Please see the site policy, specifically rule #3. It is an enumerated rule – do not use "crazy" on this site.
Here's a link discussing the motivation behind this being a rule. Here's another.
My major thought at the time: Baltar is going to be in a mighty awkward situation if anyone knew he cleared Boomer.
Socinus was let out in a deleted scene in the season one finale, where it's explained that they're incredibly short-handed. Seelix and Tarn were also introduced there as nameless characters, but Aaron Douglas, who plays Tyrol, convinced Ron Moore they could become actual characters. And then Tarn was killed here, while Seelix…well, you'll see.
Well, Seelix has the much cooler name.
And she's my TV girlfriend.
I always think of the Pokémon Steelix :S
The more stories like this I hear, the more I love Aaron Douglas.
Great season opener. I love that it picks up exactly where the finale leaves off and refuses to let up.
I love Tyrol so much for standing up to Crashdown, and for managing to do it in a way that doesn't challenge Crashdown's authority or pride. He cares so much about everyone.
Also Gaeta! Way to invent parallel processing on the fly. And I do love that disconnecting the computers is shown by the physical act of yanking the wiring out. Man, who knew programming could be so intense!
I love Adama's mustache. It's so wonderful. His (ex-)wife doesn't get mentioned often. Back in the miniseries, during his initial reunion with Lee, we get this little bit of dialogue:
Adama: How's your mother?
Lee: Getting married
It sums everything up pretty neatly, but it's certainly easy to miss.
And this is the only EJO role I can think of where he DOESN'T have a mustache, so any time it shows up I just think "Now he looks like himself again."
Essentially, this show never wants us to feel good things ever again and Ronald Moore will stomp on a puppy to ensure this.
He's a bit like Stephen Moffat, only instead of feeding on fear RDM feeds on your anguish and despair.
Oh my GODS WHAT IS THAT ON YOUNG BILL'S FACE?! It's almost a rule that flashbacks on tv HAVE to feature the actors in ridiculous wigs and Bill and Tigh's do not disappoint.
Also, why can’t I remember anything about Adama’s wife? Has she even been mentioned?
I believe Lee mentions that she's remarried back in the miniseries and the flashbacks to Zak's funeral in "Act of Contrition" show him comforting a crying blonde woman in a big hat who I thinkk we're meant to assume is their mother.
Oh Tarn, you were a redshirt but a REALLY PRETTY one. When he's dying and starts saying "I want to go home" I just start crying cause OH GODS NO. Tyrol's reaction is heartbreaking, he clearly loves his kids and takes losing one badly. Cally's attempting to get him to move by pulling on his holster, then stopping because she doesn't have the strength to move him so she just holds it for a second…it's a small thing but shows us how upset she is too.
Gaeta FTW! Working out how to find the fleet. The thing with the soap dishes is a really cute way of showing how he works it out.
Those bookending shots of the Galactica alone in space and reuntied with the fleet are so beautiful. A really nice way of showing the situation in a very quick pair of shots.
Sharon, honey, if you're going to interact with humans try and avoid invoking memories of Boomer as if they were your own. It clearly freaks people out.
Sharon, honey, if you're going to interact with humans try and avoid invoking memories of Boomer as if they were your own.
But they are her own. She has all the same memories as Boomer. At the moment she finds Helo on Caprica, she is the same person as Boomer. And then their experiences diverge and they become different people. That's not really how the humans see it because our identities are very strongly tied to our bodies. But this isn't the case for cylons who can get a new body whenever they need one.
She has to have the other memories too, though, the ones where she knew she was a Cylon and talked to Six and Doral about what her "mission" would be. She knows she didn't actually spend time on board Galactica, even though she has the memories of doing so. Right?
I suppose that's true. I wonder whether she has the "human" memories that Boomer has. Since she's clearly not a sleeper agent, she would at least have to know those memories are false. But she does have all the same memories as Boomer. So I do see the as initially the same person. Who are we, if not our memories?
Memory is one of the most powerful (and malleable) things there is. There's a reason that people who misremember things are so adamant that they remembered them correctly: an incorrect memory is just as vivid as a correct one. And in either case, it's something you recall on a visceral level, rather than an intellectual one. In that sense (assuming that humanoid Cylon memories work anything like human ones), Caprica-Sharon's memories of being on Galactica may feel more real to her than the intellectual knowledge that she was never actually there.
That's a good point.
RDM feeds on your anguish and despair. Could he be a dementor? I'm just saying.
I wanted to talk about how tense this episode was and then you gave me the mental image of Moore stomping on puppies just to make us miserable and now I can't stop cackling and feeling horrible for doing it because NO NOT THE PUPPIES and yet the mental image is TOO DAMN HILARIOUS for me to handle.
This is why you're the best, Mark.
Thank you!
To start with, the base star creeps me the fuck out. When the raiders were coming out of it, it reminded me of those Surinam toads whose babies come out from under their skin, or maybe even fungal spores being released from gills. DNW. Are raiders base star babies? Because that would be even creepier.
I'm right there with you on Tarn (oh that's his name). As soon as they turned back, I was just sitting there waiting for his ass to get shot. I wonder if it was friendly fire, and if Tyrol is going to challenge Crashdown's authority outright once he finds his way back. It sucks if Tarn died for Tyrol's development, but it should be interesting to see the aftermath.
I'm team Starbuck on the whole "what are you doing, Helo" thing, even though I want things to work out between him and Sharon. YOU WERE JUST SHOOTING AT HER. Being pregnant is some sort of band aid, I guess. I really want Sharon to be good, so I have to believe that she stole that ship for a good reason. Aside from giving Starbuck something to be pissed about. I love her storyline the best, too, so I'm pretty happy it's converged with those two kids. What can I say, I like ridiculous drama.
I feel really bad for Boomer. I'd also like to see how many episodes we can go without seeing Grace Park beat up or shot at. And speaking of beatings, was Tigh shown fighting with someone before stache-Adama showed up? I noticed he had bloody knuckles while they were drinking and thought I missed something in the intercut flashbacks at the beginning. Or was it just a sign that Tigh was a drunken brawler? Even though Adama and Tigh looked hilarious, I liked seeing their relationship history, and why they're so close. Hope someone tells Ellen he doesn't have any aspirations towards leadership!
The deleted scenes for the episode show Tigh getting into a drunken brawl of some sort, which (IIRC) Adama ends right before introducing himself.
Thanks for clearing that up!
One more thing: the British doctor is played by Jamie Bamber's wife (unlike him, she doesn't hide her accent).
Oh fun, I didn't know that.
In the podcast, Ron Moore explains that they had to cut a scene that explained why Socinus was out of prison. Essentially, Tyrol went to Adama and was like – "I need him. This is a recon mission, and we need people capable of .. reconning." And there was another scene where Socinus mentions 'OMG THANKS CHIEF FOR GETTING ME OUT!' and Tyrol flips out on him, telling him how stupid he was to lie like that, etc.
What does a Cylon and human hybrid create?
A Cybrid, obviously.
My re-watching thoughts:
Yaaay flashback tiem! Mustaches and hair and stuff! Awww Tigh looks so young and happy.
"I didn't do anything!" How awful to not even realize what you just did. I feel bad for Boomer.
I also feel bad for Tigh, who has to figure out what to do RIGHT NOW while he's worrying about Adama. But it makes sense to jump away. They know where Kobol is now; they can always go back.
Lee's enraged by the fact that he's in jail while his father's just been shot, and all I can think is "damn Lee, you have some good arms."
Aaand they've lost the fleet. WTF.
No spoiler-drums?
"She's our child, Gaius." I'm pretty sure hallucinations or imaginary Cylons or whatever can't get pregnant. And if so, I hope you have been using imaginary birth control!
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I do like that as much of a hard-ass as Tigh is, he's sympathetic to Gaeta for being overwhelmed and making a mistake. I disagree with Ellen that he should be harder on him. But I love Gaeta. *hugs Gaeta*
Apparently the medic who takes care of Adama is Jamie Bamber's wife.
Seelix is hott. I'm just gonna say that right now.
I'm kind of disappoint in Helo because he seems to only care about Sharon's life as it relates to their potential kid, not for herself. But maybe it's just that the kid makes him think more about how she's actually been on his side for several episodes now, and keeps him from killing her immediately. Still, the whole "you can't shoot her, she's pregnant" thing is a little too "women are only worthwhile as carriers for babies" for me.
Maaan, that scene where Chief and Cally and Tarn are just walking along, joking around with each other… you just KNOW something horrible is about to happen. That scene was way too happy. (Even though I've seen this before, I was convinced a land mine was going to blow someone up out of nowhere. It just seemed like the thing.)
Again, what impresses me most about the Cylons is that there's SO MANY of them. Against, what, twenty Vipers? 🙁
"CYLON VIRUS DETECTED" Oh, television computers. I do like how "disconnect the network" means "unplug some shit," though.
What was Tigh doing in the number three room? Burning… something? Tigh has a thing for burning things.
OK, I looked it up on the Wiki, and they imply that he was going to self-immolate??! Out of all the ways of killing yourself, THAT IS NOT THE ONE I WOULD PICK. (What they actually say is it "appears" he was going to set himself on fire, and that he was dousing his "uniform and medals" in lighter fluid. So maybe he was going to kill himself, or maybe he was just burning all his military memorabilia because he thought that part of his life was over. SURPRISE.)
Seelix is hott. I'm just gonna say that right now.
I'm just gonna agree with you right now.
That scene was way too happy
The characters haven't learnt that they're not allowed to be happy on this show. It just leads to an immediate increase in misery, usually because someone dies.
I'm pretty sure that the bit with Tigh trying to burn his medals is an homage to the opening scene in "Apocalypse Now".
True story. Lee's arms are really distracting to me.
Shit is about to get oh so real, Mark. You are not prepared. At all.
Essentially, this show never wants us to feel good things ever again and Ronald Moore will stomp on a puppy to ensure this.
That is a pretty accurate description of this show. Interestingly, it's also one of the more common reasons why some of my friends have stopped watching mid-series.
Some of my friends, too. Different strokes, I guess: I love the bleakness!
I was marathoning this week's episodes, and when I was done, I texted my friend, "I'm super depressed and I've lost all faith in humanity." This show is amazing, and I love the moral greys and tough choices that it showcases so much more than any other show I love, but jeez, it's hard to tackle in large clumps. I had to watch DW's "Partners in Crime," and "The Unicorn and the Bee" to cheer myself up and restore my faith in humanity. Because, Donna! That bleakness is the reason I quit watching Dexter circa season 3, because I burnt myself out by not pacing myself, and why I think a lot of people get turned off of BSG.
If this interrupts your writing flow, don't bother, but the Galactica version tends to be called Boomer, while the one on Caprica is generally Sharon. It's not a big deal, I just find it hard to keep track of which version you're referring to.
Oh wow, I thought I watched the first episode of season 2 but apparently the DVD menu is designed in a really stupid way. Rather than allowing you to select the episode you want it cycles through them automatically, which I didn't notice. So, long story short, episode 4 works pretty well as a season opener if you thought 'Oh, I like the way they are flashing back and referring to things that have happened but they haven't shown yet,' like I did!
I want to know who that thought menu system was a good idea. I seriously cannot work out why they chose it, it's so frustrating.
Wow, the Blu-ray version doesn't do that at all. It has this neat navigation system that slides into place on the left, all metallic and SF-y, and you can very clearly choose what you want.
Yeah, that makes me really glad I chose to buy it on Blu-Ray. That would drive me batty.
Also, Blu-ray makes it 200% prettier. Scientific fact.
Actually, based on more advanced scientific study of the Blu-Ray boxed set, it makes it as much as 327% as pretty, depending on an amalgam of factors including display size, sound system quality, overall viewing envoronment, and whether or not you used Monster(tm) cables.
Judging just by Helo's reactions, possibly a reduced incentive for Cylons and humans to wage war on each other? Of course, killing off the vast majority of the human population would tend to run counter to that goal. (Though I guess it would reduce the likelihood of humans overthrowing their plan and ensure that hybrid children make up a larger proportion of the total child population than they would otherwise?)
Part of this episode was spoiled for me by the BBCA seven episodes ago. I think I might have mentioned before that they ran "frak" compilation promo during the end credits of "Litmus" just before "Six Degrees of Separation" started. A lot of them seemed pretty generic to me, but a few of them were very obviously set on the bright green, lush surface of a planet that looked a lot like the terrain that Roslin saw in her vision of Leoben in the next episode. The most noticeable one, though? Boomer. Clearly sitting down or kneeling, clearly in the brig (they even show the bars), and heavily bandaged and bleeding on one side of her face. Boomer. Harsh look on her face, obviously looking up at a superior officer, saying “Just get it over with, you frakking coward” as it cuts to Colonel Tigh gearing up to punch her.
Seriously, BBCA? I did a search on an online transcript and there are seven other instances of “frak” in this episode alone (which, to be fair, some of which might have been used?), none of which are anywhere near as spoilery as that one. And the thing is, it didn't just spoil this one part of this one episode, the fact that they ran it when they did meant that (aside from being spoiled re: the discovery of Kobol) ever since Boomer shot herself I've been waiting for her to be exposed, and of course her scenes in "Kobol's Last Gleaming" lost most of their tension because I knew she'd have to get back on the Galactica somehow.
Lords of Kobol take the wheel.
Lords of Kobol take the wheel.
This phrase is beautiful. I vote that Mark starts using it. Forthwith.
Seconded! We need a T-shirt with that on it, STAT.
Judging just by Helo's reactions, possibly a reduced incentive for Cylons and humans to wage war on each other? Of course, killing off the vast majority of the human population would tend to run counter to that goal. (Though I guess it would reduce the likelihood of humans overthrowing their plan and ensure that hybrid children make up a larger proportion of the total child population than they would otherwise?)
Interesting. If you see the Cylons as a conquering force, then they WOULD want to make sure the children that get born are at least half-theirs, going by conquering forces in our world. Of course, in our world this is usually accomplished by rape. Not getting people to fall in love with you.
AKKK! The TOASTERS are invading the Galactica! The SuperCylon Centurian models (but they still have those flashing red eyes!) Where's Arnold! when you need him?
In a fight between the Toasters and the Terminator–who do you think would win?
Cyclons can regenerate forever and ever. Turns out all you have to do is drop the Governator into a pool of liquid metal and he is totally fraked. Centurians FTW.
Two things about this episode…
1) The Medic who has to operate on Adama looks and sound EXACTLY like a girl I used to know called 'Louisa' so I can't help but call her by that name, especially since I don't think we found out her real name. And I kind of love her? One of my favourite secondary characters. I also like Seelix though. And I did like Tarn…I get too attached to people.
2) I love how Helo says 'She's carrying my child!' to Starbuck to get her to stop shooting. It's a very telling way of putting it – I feel like he still has feelings for Sharon but he can't really work that out right now. But the fact that she's carrying his child gives him an excuse to latch onto that she shouldn't be killed. He can even lie to himself, thinking that he's just trying to protect his unborn child, when really he doesn't want her hurt either. Just my thoughts on it anyway.
Her name is Layne Ishay, played by Jamie Bamber's wife Kerry Noton.
Dammit, that's Norton. I wish we could edit these.
Register with IntenseDebate, and you can! It's fun!
Also, yay for the return of Ellen in full Lady McTigh mode. I love how passive aggressive she is to him.
She was reeeeeeally working the Lady M vibe, omg. I just sat back and watched in awe. Good thing the commander's last name isn't "Duncan"….
Lady McTigh is such an apt description of Ellen.
Mark, are you going to watch the two telemovies in chronological in-universe order in airing order? And are you going to watch the online webisodes at all?
Ack. That should be "OR in airing order".
I'd like to make a very strong argument for watching at least the second one in in airing order. Since the last time this was discussed it's hit me that watching it in the chronological order I've seen in some suggested lists is a TERRIBLE idea for Mark.
Yeah, the earliest it would spoil nothing is right after episode 4.15
Mark, I was just thinking. If you aren't watching Torchwood: Miracle Day by yourself (and I hope you're not), it would be a good thing to do for Mark Watches between the end of Battlestar and the beginning of Buffy.
Essentially, this show never wants us to feel good things ever again and Ronald Moore will stomp on a puppy to ensure this.
You could sell T-shirts that say this.
I have always felt the most connected to and moved by Starbuck in this show, and essentially this is The Starbuck Show to me, so, I feel you, Mark. Ok, it’s Starbuck and Friends, maybe.
Rewatching this ep, I was amazing at how TENSE the ending space battle is, with the racing to plot the location of the fleet and the Cylons breaking through the firewalls…. And then I realized I was on the edge of my seat waiting for MATH. This show is not like other shows.
– I don’t really care for the new opening credits. And I kind of miss the “scenes from the upcoming episode that make no sense out of context” montage.
– “What does a Cylon and human hybrid create? Why is it so important?” I have THEORIES about that, but none of them make sense in light of the fact that Cylons have killed 99% of the human race and are actively trying to wipe out the survivors. Why do that of you have some master plan to create lots of hybrid babies with them? MY BRAIN, IT HURTS.
– I have mixed feelings about Tigh right now, but I love how much faith he put in Gaeta. Oh, and Ellen Tigh? Shut up. You're definitely a cylon at this point. So kindly shut up.
And I kind of miss the “scenes from the upcoming episode that make no sense out of context” montage.
RDM says on the podcast that they skipped the montage on this episode because the opening setup was so long and they wanted to get right into the episode. I'm sure it'll come back!
– Oh, BOOMER. 🙁 🙁 I just want to give her ALL THE HUGS. The way she was trying to goad Tigh into shooting her…. I mean, it’s horribly depressing, but at the same time, I can’t see what her future could possibly hold except torture (for information she doesn’t have) and execution, so… maybe being shot would be preferable. 🙁
– Yeah, Tarn was definitely a redshirt. And I’m pretty sure Seelix is too, it’s just a matter of time. POOR TYROL, btw. He’s had the most casualties from among his “kids”, hasn’t he? 🙁
– Basically everything Starbuck says and does is amazing.
That's the menu acityofdoors is describing. It's set up so that there's a clip of the episode playing with the title above it which fills the entire screen. Every few seconds the screen and title change to the next episode so either you have to be VERY quick and select it when it's up or wait for it to cycle through the other three and try again. There's no way to force it to skip over the other episodes and only choose the one you want.
Huh, that's strange. I must have a different DVD, then- on mine, it shows all four on the same screen and you can manually choose with the cursor (or using the up-down left-right controls on a DVD player). When you select one it takes you a new screen that has a short description of the episode and options like Play, Scenes, etc. My Season 1 DVD's were the same way.
Sorry that I'm not much help.